MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called out on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) or North Korea to commit on a meaningful step towards peace following its latest ballistic missile test early Wednesday.
In a statement, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano expressed the Philippine government’s “serious concern” over Pyongyang’s missile launches, lamenting that its continued weapons development “increases tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”
“We call on Pyongyang to commit to making meaningful progress towards the peaceful resolution of the issues facing the Korean Peninsula,” Cayetano said.
North Korea’s Wednesday ballistic missile launch was reportedly its highest and longest-reaching ever and landed in Japanese waters.
As per DFA, there are some 242,000 Filipinos living in Japan and about 65,000 Filipinos residing in Korea.
“Meaningful dialogue can only happen when the DPRK ceases such provocative and highly dangerous actions,” Cayetano said, again calling on the DPRK to cease its nuclear weapons development program.
Cayetano reiterated the Association of Southeast Asian Nation’s (ASEAN) “readiness to play a constructive role to help reduce tensions and promote peace in the Peninsula.”
Under the Philippine chairmanship, the ASEAN issued statements urging the DPRK to cease its weapons development and return to the negotiating table.
Recently, ASEAN Foreign Ministers said DPRK’s return to the negotiating table, “coupled with complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization,” is the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.
Cayetano issued his statement after North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that experts say flew higher and further than any other missile the country previously launched.
According to the DFA, the missile was launched from a facility in Sainni and landed in an area within the Japan’s exclusive economic zone.
This launch was the fourth one involving Japan, following a similar missile test on August 29, which ended with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. This latest launch also marks the 14th DPRK ballistic missile test for 2017 alone.
“Our Foreign Service Posts in Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka continue to closely monitor the situation and provide up-to-date information to our Filipino communities in these countries,” Cayetano assured. (Joyce Ann L. Rocamora/PNA)
